Management Tip of the Day: Are you stuck with a bad boss?

BOSTON (Reuters) - You may not be able to change your bad boss, but there are ways to at least tilt the dynamic in your favor, according to says Harvard Business Review.

A specialist trader rubs his eyes as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on the last trading day of the year in New York December 31, 2010. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

The Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org (www.hbr.org). Any opinions expressed are not endorsed by Reuters.

“If you’re stuck with a bad boss, don’t give up. While you can’t change your boss, you may be able to alter the dynamic of your relationship. Focus on trying to better utilize your manager by doing the following two things:

1. Exploit your boss’ strength. Figure out where your boss excels at and tap into those skills when they are most useful. For example, if he is good at big-picture thinking, ask him to share his vision for driving your critical project forward.

2. Listen to learn. Too many bosses are critical of ideas that they haven’t generated. Next time your boss takes down your idea, listen. While it may be hard to hear, his critique could include useful feedback that improves your proposal.”

-Today’s management tip was adapted from “How to Bring Out the Best in Your Boss” by Liz Wiseman.